Daughter Of The Stars
Daughter Of The Stars was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for ESA that launched successfully at 09:14 UTC on 28 March 2026 (10:14 p.m. NZDT on 28 March; 5:14 a.m. EDT on 28 March) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
09:14 UTC on 28 March 2026 · 10:14 p.m. NZDT on 28 March · 5:14 a.m. EDT on 28 March
Disclaimer: This livestream is from a third-party channel and is not an official Rocket Lab broadcast.
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The current watch link is from a third-party source rather than Rocket Lab directly.
Launch Updates
-
Launch success.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: esa.int -
Spacecraft separation.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com -
Liftoff.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
"Daughter of the Stars" refers to ESA's Celeste constellation, named after Maria Celeste, daughter of Galileo Galilei. The Galileo navigation system honors him; Celeste (LEO-PNT) bears his daughter's name, meaning "heavenly."
Mission Overview
The European Space Agency (ESA)'s LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing) demonstrator mission will feature a 10-satellite constellation demonstration mission that will assess how a low Earth orbit fleet of satellites can work in combination with the Galileo and EGNOS constellations in higher orbits that provide Europe’s own global navigation system. This launch will lift 2 “Pathfinder A” satellites built by Thales Alenia Space and GMV to a 510 km altitude Low Earth Orbit.
In the news
- Rocket Lab Successfully Launches 85th Mission and First Dedicated Launch for European Space Agency (opens in a new tab) Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab launches 85th Electron mission. ESA secures first dedicated launch. Electron delivers 300 kg to LEO. (112 characters)
Technical Details
20
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 35° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 10:14 p.m. NZDT · 09:14 UTC
- Sunset
- 7:08 p.m. NZDT · 06:08 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 7:34 p.m. NZDT · 06:34 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 8:05 p.m. NZDT · 07:05 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 8:37 p.m. NZDT · 07:37 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the evening of the launch.
What's a rocket jellyfish? When a rocket launches in twilight, the ground is dark but its exhaust plume climbs into sunlight high above. The expanding plume glows against the dark sky in a jellyfish-like shape.
Space-Object Catalog
| Object | Operator | Built by | Mass | Orbit | Status | NORAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LPTNSAT-001 2026-065A · Payload | Operator European Space Agency | Built by GMV Cubesat 12U | Mass 20 kg | Orbit 499 × 519 km · 97.4° | Status On orbit | NORAD 68408 |
LPTNSAT-002 2026-065B · Payload | Operator European Space Agency | Built by Thales Alenia Space/L'Aquila Cubesat 16U | Mass 30 kg | Orbit 496 × 512 km · 97.4° | Status On orbit | NORAD 68409 |
Electron 85 Stage 2 2026-065C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 138 × 230 km · 97.4° | Status Decayed 2026-04-03 | NORAD 68410 |
Electron 85 Kick Stage 2026-065D · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 139 × 188 km · 97.4° | Status Decayed 2026-04-16 | NORAD 68411 |